Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-15
OF THE MAKING OF LEGISLATURES.

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OF THE MAKING OF LEGISLATURES.
With the adjournment of the Legisla-
ture comes the biennial flood of yitupera-
ton from the press that is supposed to
scarify that body and present it in its true
light so far as hard words can do so.
There is no strength in these TRADES;
while we are to speak of the Legislature
precisely as it was, whatever quarrels we
may have with performance or failure
by it, should be related back to the constit-
uences Of the members. Reform and pro-
gress in legislation will not be effected by
treating symptoms, and the houses so re-
Gently engaged in lawmaking were, so far
as they were blameworthy, but symptoms
of ills in the body social and polite. The
proper treatment is to hold Legislatures as
good as the sources from which they
sprung. The correctives for bad and de-
fective legislation must be applied at these
sources, and it is Improbable to devote
much time to castigation of the houses or
their membership.
The people made, or consented to
making, the Legislature what it was, and
it does not lie with them to deny the pa
ternity Society is altogether too trustful
and confding in pre-legislative activities.
1t yields to the political boss in the chief
cities the duties it should never delegate;
it selects in the several districts with too
little regard for ability, and too much con-
Germ for partisanship. That is to say,
while party choice should be made that
political policy may be determined, and
while competency within either party is to
be found, thought is less given to capa-
city than to political skill and the politi
cal strength the candidate is supposed to
add TO the ticket. When the Legislators
assemble, society finds too often as the
result of the aggregation that the body as
whole is i'll formed and defective; and yet
with the errors Of its past in choosing in
full view, it repeats them biennially SO
if its Legislative work is slipshod and costly
1t is because it sends up slipshod and I'M
economic workmen. In most other con-
Germs of life society is pretty certain to
select for any task fairly competent men,
and to demand of them symmetrical and
successful achievements. But in legislation
capacity is less frequently taken into con-
sideration than any other quality, and the
right to choose is delegated to vicious
agencies.
To the chief work to which people can
devote themselves; for the highest trust
with which an agent can be invested-the
formulating of the rules of action for
men in their relations to each other-the
least care appears to be taken. We select
Legislators, apparently, upon the theory
that any man who can win in politics is
competent to make our laws. In truth,
there is no Office to which society can call
any of its members that demands so much
Of practical, everyday wisdom; so much
experience and accurate knowledge of
men so much intelligence concerning the
history Of civilization, and OF the theory
and practice of law, of the needs and obi
cations of commercial life, of the essentials
of social organization, the direction and
motives Of reforms. There is no duty to
which the citizen can be called that so i'm
peratively demands thorough knowledge
of the causes of vice. and the methods of
battling with and overcoming them.
The Legislature just adjourned was not
greatly more lacking than many of its
predecessors in these essentials. 1t had
fair share of clear-headed, capable men.
who were duly impressed with the weighty
importance of their trusts, and whose err
rors were those Of judgment only; it had
within its ranks many men honest in pur-
pose and daily walk, and who would scorn
TO do mean things. But largely with such
men the moral sensibilities are benumbed
and warped out of shape in the presence of
political and vicious legislative methods
which the infamous and degrading system
of trade, barter and exchange has set up.
The making of the success of desired
measure dependent upon the success or
failure of some other Act; the voting for
this bill because another viii vote for that,
is simply salving conscience and apologize
ing to the sense of right on the score of
expedieney. The Legislature just ad-
joured had a share, also, Of stern and I'M
iinching men, whose lack ofsdaptability
to situation and want of knowledge of
men and of skill in handling them, made
their honest purposes defeat themselves
These went 10 theother extreme and became
practically powerless in their unyielding
and stubborn immovability. But it had
also large proportion of men unscrupu-
lous as to the means employed TO attain
ends ready to trade at any time for polit-
zeal advantage or personal gain; careless of
public criticism; unambitious for public
approval, and openly acknowledging
allegiance to political rings and bosses and
other vicious influences. They had very
frequently the whole Legislative balance
in their grasp--the power to make or I'M